


Lifejacket

by gremlins-came-and-got-me (Scared_Beings_in_the_Dark)



Series: Holidays with the Stilinski-Hales [7]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Big Brother Derek, F/F, F/M, Holiday: Fourth of July, M/M, emotional angst, past polyamory, proposal, relationship discussion
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-04
Updated: 2018-07-04
Packaged: 2019-06-05 10:47:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,670
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15169040
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Scared_Beings_in_the_Dark/pseuds/gremlins-came-and-got-me
Summary: Cora still doesn't want to know what her brother and his husband (who just got married for the second time) get up to, but she's glad that they're there for her when she needs them.





	Lifejacket

Cora forgave Derek for getting married without her there to see it when he handed her the rings and asked her to be his best person.

While their marriage in Vegas was legal, neither her brother nor Stiles wanted to risk it on a flimsy piece of paper, so they stood before a justice of the peace and signed another flimsy piece of paper.

Afterward, the again-newly wedded and their witnesses, Cora and Stiles’ father John, headed back to John’s place for the annual barbeque he hosted.

It was boring at first, setting up the tables with Derek and Stiles while John got the grill going, but once people started showing up, it got (slightly) more bearable.

Derek and Stiles sneaked off some time after the first of the burgers were done. On one wanted to find them, certain that they were…busy.

Cora settled at the fence, waiting impatiently for her guest to arrive. When Lydia finally walked through the gate, a bottle of expensive wine in one hand, a bag with a couple of six-packs of craft beer in the other, Cora grabbed her around the waist and pressed a kiss to her lips.

“I’m so glad you made it,” she said, pulling back to tuck a loose strand of hair behind Lydia’s ear.

“So am I,” Lydia responded. “I wasn’t sure I’d be able to find it. It’s a little out of the way, isn’t it?”

Suddenly, John clapped a hand onto each of their shoulders. “The benefits of a cop’s pension,” he said with a wink. “Hot dogs are ready if you are.”

“I could go for one,” Lydia said. “Come with?”

Cora took the bag of six-packs from her, just so she could slide her hand into hers as they headed for the table closest to the grill.

John passed them a plate with two hot dogs and buns, pointing at the condiments set in a tub filled with ice.

“Wine glasses?” Lydia asked.

Someone, Cora thought it was Scott, Stiles’ childhood friend visiting for the after-wedding bash, plopped an empty Solo cup in front of her. Cora laughed at her indignant expression.

“There are glasses inside. Come on.”

Cora snagged a beer before the rest of the bottles walked off, and carried the plate with their food on it.

Inside, it was cool, all the lights off and only the curtains in the kitchen open.

Cora cocked a hip against the counter as she watched Lydia check the cupboards. She was too busy admiring the view to hear the approaching footsteps.

“Thought you’d be here,” a deep voice said from behind her. Cora jumped, dropping the plate onto the counter and spinning around.

She couldn’t find her voice.

Luckily Lydia had hers ready. “Boyd,” she said cheerily.

“Lydia,” Boyd said, embracing her. He accepted a glass of wine, smiling privately at her. Cora felt like the ground she was standing on was trembling.

Boyd hadn’t given any indication that he’d known who Lydia was when she and Erica and Boyd had broken up.

Now they were smiling at each other, happy?

Cora set her beer down too, heading for outside again.

“Where are you going?” Boyd asked, voice soft.

“Just, away.” Cora shrugged. She didn’t want to cry in front of him, and she was dangerously close to it. “I just need some air.”

“Cora, don’t go,” Boyd begged, and she shuddered at it, remembering how she broke on their couch when they decided that they couldn’t continue.

“I have to,” she insisted, turning to flee. She smacked into someone’s chest, their arms coming up around her, holding her. She peeked up. It was her brother. She buried her face in his chest, clinging tightly to him.

“What’s going on?” Derek asked gruffly. “What are you doing here, Boyd?”

“I needed to talk to Cora,” Boyd said softly. “Erica and I both did.”

“Erica’s here too?” Cora asked. Derek made a noise in his throat.

“She is. She opted to remain outside because she didn’t want to hurt you more than she already had.”

“I’d say you’ve both hurt her plenty,” Derek said. “Leave, please.”

“I will,” Boyd said, “if Cora tells me.”

“No,” Derek snapped. “Get out now. You are not going to take advantage of my sister. I don’t care if you’re a saint on Earth, as soon as you disregard what she’s already said and try to change the answer to something that favors you, you’re an asshole.”

“Is there a problem here?” Stiles asked from the doorway.

“No,” Boyd said at the same time that Derek said, “Yes.”

Derek glared at Boyd. “Go get your dad, Stiles. We have a trespasser.”

Boyd held up his hands. “I’m leaving,” he promised. To Cora, he said, “For what it’s worth, I’m sorry. We knew how much you meant to us and we still let you go. Not only that, but we told you to leave.”

“You also told me that I deserved love and to follow my heart,” Cora said. She grabbed Lydia’s hand. “I’m happy now. I don’t need you anymore.”

“I understand.” Boyd left, Stiles escorting him out. Cora hugged Derek again, and he rubbed his thumb over her cheek, swiping away moisture.

“Take care of her,” he said to Lydia, before following the others out.

“What happened between you and Boyd?” Lydia asked. She poured a healthy portion of the wine into a glass for Cora. “You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.”

“I should.” Cora motioned to the table and they sat. “I used to date Erica and Boyd, but when I met you, I fell in love and wanted to bring you into the fold. They disagreed, as was their right, and we broke up.”

“And Boyd was here to ask you back?”

“I don’t know, maybe?” Cora spun her glass, watching the liquid slosh almost over the rim. “I’m glad Derek chased him away. I mean, I did really love them, but they gave me up, and it took time to get over that. I don’t want to go back to them when I know they might just kick me out again.”

“I know what you mean,” Lydia said. “Once upon a time, when I was a freshman, I fell into their bed too. It wasn’t until they told me that they’d moved on earlier this year that I finally felt confident enough to resume our friendship without the past relationship making it awkward.” She studied Cora for a long moment before reaching out and placing her hand over Cora’s. “I never got to meet you as Boyd and Erica’s partner because none of us had gotten to the point of talking about dating yet. I knew your exes had hurt you, and I respected your decision to keep that part of yourself hidden away. I just want to tell you that I’m so proud of you. I love you more than you could ever know, and I hope that I’m never stupid enough to tell you to leave.”

“If you ever are, you’ll deserve to lose her just like they lost her,” Derek said, and Cora glared at her brother.

“Weren’t you doing something?” she said, raising an eyebrow.

“Stiles and his dad took care of it,” Derek said blithely. He strolled to the table, grabbing a chair and sitting down. He took Cora’s wine glass and drained half of it in one swallow. “Listen, Lydia,” he said. “I like you. I think you might have the potential to become a sister-in-law, but if you ever break my sister’s heart like Boyd and Erica did and then have the balls to come crawling back, you won’t get near her. I will protect her if it comes to that. But, I’ll only do so if I’ve been given a reason to believe that you’re bad news.”

“This feels like a shovel talk,” Lydia said. “‘Don’t hurt my sibling or I’ll hurt you.’”

“It’s not,” Derek assured her. “I won’t ever do anything to you. But, if you hurt my sister and come back for more, I won’t let you hurt her again.”

Lydia stuck out her hand. Derek stared at it before shaking it gingerly.

“Thank you,” Lydia said. “I appreciate your concern for your sister and I hope I never have to employ your services as a big brother in that manner. Now, if you’d like to walk Cora down the aisle, I’d be more than willing to wait for her.”

Cora rolled her eyes. “You are not proposing to me after two months of dating, and not at my brother’s wedding celebration, and not over wine.”

Lydia’s eyes glinted and she gracefully stood up, swooping down to drop to a knee. In her hand was a ring box.

“Cora Hale, I am definitely proposing to you after only two months of dating, at your brother’s wedding celebration, and over wine, because there is no better time to do it. I already know that I want to love you for the rest of my life.”

Cora couldn’t move her mouth, but she could nod.

Lydia stood up, opening the box to slip the ring onto Cora’s finger. Cora grabbed her, holding on tightly.

Derek lifted the glass again. “To many years together, weathering the storm of life with your lifejackets, the love of your life, and your wife,” he toasted.

Cora smacked him with her ringed hand because that was the speech she’d planned to give about his relationship with Stiles over the secret reception this barbeque was supposed to be. Whatever. It fit Lydia and her too.

“Love of my life,” Lydia repeated. “My lifejacket.” She pulled back, hands cupping Cora’s face. “My forever.”

“Wedding bells,” Derek sang, drinking the rest of Cora’s wine. He stood up and clapped. “Congratulations,” he whispered against Cora’s ear. “I think you found the one.”

Cora smiled at Lydia fondly. “Yes,” she said, happiness a tight pressure in her chest. “I did.”

~ The End ~

**Author's Note:**

> Un-Beta read and unedited for now. I will go through it when I have a little more time.
> 
> Also on [my Tumblr](http://1989dreamer.tumblr.com/).
> 
> Thanks to all who read!


End file.
